Press Release

Release Date: March 2, 2012

For immediate release

The Federal Reserve Board on Friday issued guidance to ensure that supervisors apply consistent standards as they evaluate whether banking organizations with $10 billion or less in assets are eligible for upgrades of supervisory ratings.

The guidance is being issued to ensure that upgrades occur in a timely manner when the banking organizations have made the requisite progress in addressing any supervisory concerns that had prompted lower ratings. To be eligible for an upgrade, banks are expected to demonstrate, among other things, improvement in financial condition and risk management, as well as show that such improvement is likely to continue.